I spent a lot of this week cleaning out my Lightroom catalogue (sorting all my photos), and spring cleaning in general, and thinking about summer. This year, I am so excited to have more travel plans than ever before and be almost full-time freelance writing! I’ll still be working this summer part time as a kayak guide this summer— I’m not quite ready to give up that part of my life yet.
Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll ever be done wanting to take people to my favorite places and teach about the outdoors. The thing I love most about guiding is watching peoples faces. Last summer it was the orcas and bioluminescence— even when I was at my most burnt out, working 15 or so consecutive days, watching people experience paddling in bioluminescence or an orca encounter was worth it.
It’s an incredible thing to help make happen, to facilitate that meaningful experience outside. In the Apostles, where I’ll be all summer, it’s the sea caves.
There are small, tight and dark caves like a labyrinth, and grand arches, and caves that feel like cathedrals, like something of another world made them to remind you that there is so much more to than your narrow field of view.
There’s something about watching people come to that realization and being a part of it— wow, this world is so incredible, and so worth protecting.
It’s a privilege to be a part of that.
Here in the Midwest there are plenty of places like that, special places that make you feel small. (Or alternately, places that are a days realistic drive from the midwest proper). Here are some of my favorites:
1) The Jordan River, Northern Michigan
After spending 70 days paddling the fjords of British Columbia in 2022, my partner Andy and I went to Michigan to visit my family to recover before starting work again in the fall. While we were there, we took a day to rent canoes and paddle the Jordan River.
Even after spending all summer on the water in one of the objectively most beautiful places in the world, the Jordan River as an experience was really magical and calming. Maybe it’s the sandy bottom and crystal clear water, or how the river level was high enough that it was a somewhat challenging paddle, or the thick green trees and wildflowers, but the Jordan River felt sort of magical to me.
It felt like paddling through a place where fairies live. We liked it so much, went back the next day with my sister and brother. Here’s where you can rent a canoe and shuttle. For the average paddler, I would recommend the 2-hr route. We did the 3-hr both times, and on the second time my siblings did indeed capsize their canoe, which was pretty exciting since I’d never gotten to practice canoe rescues live!
check out the best kayaking routes near Traverse City
2) Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Western ND
Often overlooked for the South Dakota Badlands, I’ve stopped here every time I’ve driven between Washington and Minnesota. For me, this place is the line between “out west” and “back home”. I like North Dakota.
Here, I like the rivers and the badlands, and the wild horses, and the bison on the hills. Several times I’ve gotten out of my car and sat at Painted Canyon and just watched the shadows move across, tourists filtering in and out around me to use the restroom, get their book stamped. The town of Medora reminds me of a place I went as a kid, but I can’t quite put my finger on where.
3) Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
Isle Royale National Park, separated from mainland by 18-miles of open water, is one of the most remote National Parks in the lower 48, and more than that one of the most remote feeling places I’ve been.
Somehow, paddling in BC didn’t feel nearly as far flung as Isle Royale did. I think it’s that it’s an island and that you can see along the shoreline where Lake Superior has wind and wave blasted the rock up to the tree line. Isle Royale is hard to get to by nature; as a result it is by nature filled with people who love the park and are so happy to be there. There’s something so special in that— the intersection of the trail culture and the thick carpets of moss and the sounds and shadows of moose and that blue, blue Lake Superior water.
check out this detailed guide to visiting Isle Royale National Park
4) Tettegouche State Park, Minnesota
Tettegouche (pronounced “tett-a-gooch" not “tett-gouchie”) State Park is my close to home favorite, and there are so many spots in this park that make me feel like I’m the only person on earth.
I’ve felt that way drinking my morning coffee at the base of High Falls, and I’ve felt that way sitting and watching the moonrise from Palisade Head. But I think the place I felt most like that, like I was living in a land before time, was two autumns ago when I spent two consecutive weekends hiking just about every trail on the Lax Lake Rd entrance to Tettegouche. I made it to Mount Trudee, hiking in 6 miles one way to sit at an overlook of the Palisade Valley beneath me and sat and listened to birds and the wind for almost an hour before I realized if I wanted to make it to my car before dark, I’d probably have to jog.
And I did— I half jogged the six miles back, taking a short cut to make it faster. It was kind of a perfect day.
Check out all my favorite trails in Tettegouche here
5) Rose Lake Cliffs & the BWCA, Minnesota
Fall 2021, my friends and I cooked up a plan to tackle one of the most brutal imaginable day hikes in the Midwest. We headed to Rose Lake Cliffs in the BWCA via the Caribou Rock Trail, hauling and scrambling over 45 degree angle uphills full of loose rock and wet root, up and down the jagged sawtooth hills of the BWCA, all to get here:
Reaching the swirling lake overlook of Rose, Rat, and South Lakes was definitely a rewarding moment, but for me that land before time feeling came earlier. There’s a little overlook, just a quick hike up from Rose Falls, where you can hear the waterfall echoing out over the lake, and look out at the lake below you. For me, that spot felt like magic.
6) Red River Gorge, Kentucky
I visited the Red River Gorge a long time ago, back in 2017, and I’m hoping to make it back again sometime this summer. Here, you can find the largest concentration of natural arches outside of Arches National Park in Utah. It’s a special little place.
My trip here was my very first trip ever with a camera, and while I didn’t really get the “magical” shots I had imagined, the act of making art outside on this trip really inspired a lot of the types of photos I like to take today.
my favorite hikes in the Red River Gorge
7) Great Sand Bay, Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
This past February I was on a trip with Visit Keweenaw and stopped here, at this roadside pullout for sunset.
It was freezing and windy and we had time to kill before our dinner reservations and we ran up the sand dunes and ran back down laughing like kids. I didn’t expect to take any pictures there at all— it was just a spot to stop— but this ended up being my favorite photo of the whole trip.
check out the best things to do in the Keweenaw in the Winter!
8) The Apostle Islands, Wisconsin
As previously mentioned, the Apostle Islands, the place I’ll be guiding all summer, have a little bit of that magic. It’s in the sea caves and the sandy beaches, and in the milky way reflected in the lake, and the little waterfalls that pour off the cliffs after it rains, and the crystal clear water.
For me, the Apostles will always be that first magical place. They’ll always remind me of being a senior in college and looking at pictures of the islands online thinking about how my life would be different if I were there, and they’ll always remind me of taking the leap and doing it.
While I’ve worked on and off as a sea kayaking guide since 2018, this is the first summer I’m offering my own trips! These are small group women’s trips, 12 people max, run in partnership with Chicas Abroad (whom I met guiding last summer) and Lost Creek Adventures, local outfitter in the Apostles whom I’ll be working part time with this summer as well!
To kayak with me and learn basic sea kayak navigation, skills, and about Lake Superior over the course of a 5-day adventure check out the trip dates below:
Use the code Maddy24 for $50 off booking (I make a small kickback to help compensate me for extra time planning curriculum and logistics!)
9) Esch Road Beach, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan
In college, before I was a career outdoors guide and writer, I was a Neuroscience student who felt really, really lost. Every few weekends I would find myself here; sitting at the beach. It felt like one of the only places in the world at the time where everything I was worried about (and I was worried about everything) couldn’t catch up with me.
I still go back here when I can. There’s something really magical about the creek and the blue spring water, the dunes in the distance and of course, just the magic of Lake Michigan.
Check out all my favorite Sleeping Bear Dunes hikes & beaches.
10) Little Manitou Falls Backpack-in Site
Hidden in Pattison State Park just outside of Duluth, there’s this one perfect little backpack-in site site that is near the top of Little Manitou Falls. It’s less than a three mile trek in, and a really cool way to get to a spot on a waterfall that not many people get to see.
The site is reservation only, and fills quickly in the summer.
no pictures because i ran out of upload space in the email!!
11) The Pictured Rocks “Coves”, Michigan
In general, I actually sort of think that Michigan’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is overrated. The hiking is beautiful, but it’s crowded to a point that it’s hard to enjoy. The paddling is good, but honestly the Apostles have a lot more to offer and so much more wilderness.
That said, there is one special spot in the Pictured Rocks that I do think is worth the trip. I’ve mostly visited this area in late summer when the crowds are gone and the water is warmer, and every time I’ve hiked to the coves and Spray Falls, I’ve only seen backpackers on the trail. Perhaps even more lucky, I’ve only ever been here when the lake is calm.
But tucked away near the Beaver Basin section of the Pictured Rocks is this set of perfect sandstone coves, with small caves and easy cliff jumping, like the world’s most beautiful natural swimming pool. Every time I’m here, I imagine what life must have been like before technology and bricks and houses— filled with hunting and gathering, and so many moments like these.
Check out the best things to do in the Pictured Rocks
other updates & things to watch for:
One thing that I’m really excited to be doing in general this summer is organizing more Midwest Outdoor events and meetups! If you know me or my partner Andy in person, you might know that our ultimate goal is to one day open up our own Outdoor Education Center/Outfitter in Northern Minnesota and run education-focused outdoor trips. Running trips like this for me is such a fun step in the direction of what I’m most passionate about and what I’d like to spend the rest of my life doing.
June Women’s Group Guided Climb:
Come join me and my friends at Forged Guides for a small group guided climb in Interstate State Park (MI/WI) June 8th & 9th, 2024!
This is a guided full-day climbing experience, gear and guides provided! Register for either the 8th or 9th, or both days. Right now we’re capped at six people per day, but we might open up more spots if there’s enough interest (hard capped at 11 total for both days).
I’ll be there at both days of climbing; shoot me an email (hello@madelinemarquardt.com) if you’re looking to camp for the weekend and I’ll be organizing camping nearby for anyone interested on Friday/Saturday night. (Girls trip vibes!)
Personally I have ZERO climbing experience, so this will be a big learning experience for me and out of my comfort zone. This is a great event if you’re worried about looking silly or being the worst climber present, because I do promise no one will be worse at it than me. I am afraid of heights.
Cost is $125 per person, per day, and this covers the guides and gear use through Forged Guides, but does not cover guide tips (usually 15-20%). This is their normal per person rate, and I am not making any money from this trip! This is just something I thought would be a really fun way for girls and women who want to learn to climb but don’t have anyone to go with (like me!) to meet up and learn from some super qualified climbing guides and help a new small, guide-owned, business kick off their summer season!
Feel free to shoot me an email at hello@madelinemarquardt.com with questions!
xMaddy